No Asylum Here

Madness of Two #1

by Aiden Pierce

Finishing my psychiatric residency at the age of twenty-nine should have put me on top of the world.

But when one mistake lands me at rock bottom, I’m forced to take a job at an old insane asylum stuck in the 20th century.

St. Bartholomew’s was supposed to be my sanctuary, a chance to escape my shit life and get my head back on my shoulders.

Turns out, I’ve stumbled into a fresh hell instead. And Patient Seventeen—the facility’s most violent resident—is my personal demon.

Danger lurks around every corner, with a sinister facility director hiding secrets as mystifying as the fog surrounding the haunted hospital on the hill.

What ensues is a web of mind games, countless monsters who want to own my soul… And an enigmatic demon standing between us, with every intention of claiming me for himself.

**Please Note: No Asylum Here is a gothic horror romance and the first book in the Madness of Two Duet. This contains many dark themes and triggers, including violence and graphic sexual content. Please check the front matter for the full CW/TW list.

Genres: Dark Romance, Horror, Paranormal, Erotic Horror, Dark, Romance, Spicy

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2026

About the author

Aiden Pierce is a writer of dark paranormal romance and erotic horror. Her love stories are on the spooky side and usually end up with the monster or the villain getting the girl. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their three fur babies. When she's not daydreaming about the characters that live in her head, she can be found curled up on the couch playing video games.

Instagram: instagram.com/aidenpierceromance
TikTik: tiktok.com/@aidenpierceromance
Amazon: amazon.com/stores/Aiden-Pierce/author...
Reader Group: facebook.com/groups/190582886541183

Reviews

[Momma Eureka · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT ??????

HE CALLS HER LITTLE NIGHTMARE!!!! 🖤🖤🖤🖤

I AM DECEASED!!!!! I never imagined this little unassuming book was going to be THIS GOOD !!!!

This is a gothic horror romance and I am shook of how well this story is developed. I can’t say anything without spoiling but just so you know this is paranormal, crazy and somehow romantic??? Make it make sense ! I am baffled with how much I enjoyed !
Patient 17 and Dr. Beckett !!!!! 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
I want to scream ! The ending ? Can’t wait for the second book !!!

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 “You’re safe from them while you’re with me. I’ve died a thousand times over for nothing. I’d gladly die a thousand times more for you.”
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 “I bit off his nose for what he did to Bunny. For you? I’d remove his heart and serve it to you on a fucking platter. He and every other man in here, for that matter. And you know why?” I gulped, transfixed by his manic yet sincere display of possessiveness. “Why?” He sat back with a dark smirk. “Because you're mine. And for the next hour, I’m going to enjoy the shit out of watching you prove just how right I am.”
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 “We’re not trapped in here with them, Little Nightmare,” Seventeen whispered in my ear, too low for anyone else to hear. His claw-tipped hands skimmed up my waist, my tits, and settled on my cheeks, cradling my head to his. His dark grin was infectious, and I found myself mirroring it. “They’re trapped in here with us.”
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[Lily the Lilac ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT. THE ACTUAL. HECK.

Dr. Breckett is just trying to figure out what's happening
Patient Seventeen is terrifyingly smart but deranged with a capital D
The abuse of the orderlies towards the patients in downright cruel
The abuse of the head doctor towards the orderlies is as well
And there's some kind of supernatural time-warp / mad-scientist formula that's mutating everyone??

This was such a wild ride, but my twisted heart honestly enjoyed every interaction between Tuesday and Patient Seventeen 🙏🏻

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So..uhh...heeyyy. Quick question. When's book two coming out? Asking for a friend. Yeah. This friend of mine is into some weird shit and this book apparently tickled most of those feelers. Tickle. Tickle. Tickle.... oh f*ck it, yes, I'M THE FRIEND. GIVE ME BOOK TWO 😭😭

[Rebecca · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

4.25 stars

Um, so this random book I found and downloaded on Kindle Unlimited turned out to be so good? It was the perfect balance between unhinged creepiness / dark romance and I cannot wait for book two. This is why I take chances on lesser known stuff occasionally to potentially find hidden gems.

Doctor Beckett is going through a rough time. Something bad happened to one of her patients and - combined with some financial troubles - it's not looking good for her. She's also having weird dreams about a patient in an insane asylum. Lucky for her, that particular place has a job opening!

Sadly the hospital is in the middle of nowhere, has a deep hatred of technology, and is operating under some sketchy rules. Patient 17 is also dreaming about Dr. Beckett and their chemistry upon meeting is pretty electric.

This book is engaging the whole way through, the villains are so incredibly deranged and the romance has this forbidden undertone to it that feels delicious. Also his name for her is "little nightmare" which I loved. The plot is genuinely unlike anything I've come across this year. It deserves more attention and I hope it finds its audience.

[Catarina Duran · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️
Holy shit, I need book 2 ASAP.
WHAT.A.RIDE

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I genuinely don’t know what to say. No Asylum Here is everything it claimed to be, and I loved every fucked up minute of it.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧:
- A haunted asylum on the hill with secrets as thick as the fog surrounding it
- AHS Asylum meets Harley Quinn/Joker vibes
- Psych-ward patient MMC + Psychiatrist FMC
- Masked man
- Forbidden love
- Scalpel & Speculum play
- Light medical horror
- Psychological horror

[ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨BOOK REVIEW✨

Title: No Asylum Here
Author: Aiden Pierce
Genre: Gothic Horror Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Main Characters: Patient 19 + Dr. Beckett
Book Type: Book 1

What a literary masterpiece. I’ve read a few gothic books, but this tops them.

I absolutely loved patient 19. His part and his past was written so beautifully. The way he was created along with his personality, was really good. The back and forth between present and past was written so well along with the other side characters.

The ending threw me for a loop and now I’m craving the next book so bad. I can’t wait to see what patient 19 and patient 101 do next!

[Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

👀👀

[Megan Mellady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this at 10pm and didn't stop until 2am. I finished this in one sitting. It was un-putdownable. I couldn't stop but I also didnt want it to end. This was easily a 5 ⭐️ read for me.

•Masked MMC
•Doctor FMC
•Asylum
•Dream/Nightmare spice 🔥
•Paranormal Horror
•Touch her and 💀

Doctor Beckett is just starting out at St. Bartholomew as a Psychiatrist. She is having dreams before she starts her new position about a patient who is wildly obsessed with her. Patient Seventeen. He is unlike anything she is prepared for.

This book was dark and truly everything i love in an asylum read. I cannot wait for book 2, the end of this was just the beginning.

[Shelby | Spicy.booknook · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild freaking ride this was! I love a good gothic asylum horror story, and this really fit the bill. As the reader you kinda get the idea what’s happening, but I honestly spent a lot of my time going WTF? In a good way. It’s just a fascinating story thats very fast paced, and twisty and basically felt like a fever dream.

I’ve seen a lot of reviews saying it gave off Harley/Joker vibes… and it did, but also had some good Hannibal vibes. Just a lot of fun if you like erotic horror. Tuesday and Patient 17 have some immediate chemistry and the spice is good and very much wrapped in horror and forbidden so make sure to check the TW, it gets pretty dark. I definitely recommend if you like a dark & gory, erotic horror. I can’t wait for book two.

Contemporary MF
Gothic Horror Romance
Creepy AF Asylum
Fever Dream Vibes
Muzzled MMC
Doctor / Patient
Medical Play
Spice: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[Tabatha_Reads_Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! That is the first thing I said when I finished this one, and I am absolutely DYING for the next book!

Beware readers: this one is a dark one with lots of trigger warnings…. And I LOVED it! Aiden Pierce definitely delivered on the horror romance, with an FMC that is a down and out psychiatrist that takes a job at a mysterious and super creepy run down asylum for the criminally insane where she meets the crazy (and so hot) psycho Patient 17 from her dreams (that turns out to be an absolute dreamboat for us red flag lovers, that will absolutely and savagely destroy the world for her). She realizes that this hospital is not what she expected (in horrifying ways) and is trying to figure out what is really going on while also struggling with her growing attraction to Patient 17. This is a spicy and intriguing dark story that keeps you completely compelled to keep turning the pages, combining the absolutely unhinged with a nice dose of yearning and found family. The author perfectly weaved the story in with an incredibly vile and evil villain and scenes that will have your heart racing. The asylum setting was perfectly creepy and grotesque, with plenty of moments where you literally think what the actual F.

The ending is definitely left open for the next book, but it is perfectly set up for some truly epic mayhem that I absolutely know is coming!

[Nadja ♡ (semi-ia) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm gonna need book 2 by tonight please and thank you

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Aslyum romances are my catnip the darker the better. Very much enjoyed it. Glad I did a soft dnf tough when I wasn't in the right headspace until I was in a better mood. Dark and very suspenseful and I wished I could get to book 2 soon but it isn't out yet

[Samantha Willens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just because it’s set in a gothic cathedral ≠ gothic horror. This is a misleading classification and would consider this a dark paranormal romance.

I’ve read several of Aiden’s books and loved them. This however was a disappointment. While mildly entertaining to read, the overall story and characters were surface level and entirely predictable at chapter 1. More time could’ve been spent developing this and had Aiden’s signature themes of horror and found family.

Tuesday Beckett was idiotic for being a Doctor. Patient Seventeen was enjoyable towards the end.

I don’t know if I’ll read book 2 because I just don’t care about any of the characters or storyline. I’m sorry Aiden. I really tried.

---

Star: ⭐️⭐️
Steam: 💋💋
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Dark: 🌄 **dusk:** it’s getting darker, main theme of the book but “lighter” TWs.

[Kayla Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review ✨

READ TRIGGERED WARNINGS.
I love this book!! Mal and Tuesday are so fun and twisted. While their relationship isn’t normal and not appropriate for patient and doctor this is no normal book. The twist and turns this takes you on had my jaw on the floor. While it does it heavy and serious at times the story takes you on an adventure. I liked the past scenes that were written to give you more of an idea of the time before Tuesday came to the asylum to bring the story all together.

I like that it does take into account the real life struggles of people in asylums and how they are treated. It gives you hope that there are doctors out there who truly want to help their patients.

I look forward to book 2. Because fuck Rook, I hope he has what’s coming to him.

[Olivea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was batshit crazy😔

Finally a good book after reading a bunch of bullshit for a month. I was about to give up then this book saved me.

Patient Seventeen is so daddy🤚🏼😔

I want the second book right now. Please the second book 🙏🏼

[Janessa · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

“Little nightmare” I like that nickname 👀😏 💉🧪

I am a gothic horror lover!!! So of course, I gravitated to this. Also, I needed something for the spooky season 😈

Creepy asylum, with secrets and strange things that occur in every corner; it’ll have you questioning what the heck is going on. Those things kept me enthralled.

No Asylum Here reminded me of American Horror Story where you take bizarre to another level & you can’t look away🫢

I just don’t think this story was for me. I would have loved it if it had more character depth and a slower build-up. At times, I felt like my brain couldn’t connect fully with the mc’s or the plot.

I was amused and I liked being able to tandem with the audiobook.

This was a “turn your brain off and just vibe” kind of book & the spice was spicing.

If you want a short bingeable story with instant attraction, insatiable energy and desire, and just unhinged, maybe try this. I am not sure if I’ll continue the series.

What you’ll find:
Gothic horror romance
Psychiatric doctor x patient
Erotic
Monster smut? 👀
Kink galore
American Horror Story meets Harlequin x Joker vibes

Thank you Simon Maverick for the ALC🎧💚

[Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was unique, wild, disturbing, vile, unhinged and very, very fun. It was gruesome and so weird and I loved it. It was like Bane level evil doctor and super fun evil shit that was gross and I was so sucked in. I kind of loved Mal and Tuesday and their will and spirit, their pull for each other in the dreams was actually really cool, and it felt like their connection was deeper at the core. Which is crazy to say in the context of this manic story. It was wild seeing them lose their minds, get fucked with over and over in worse ways but never quit and get stronger and crazier together. They became monsters and It was weirdly heroic justice. I loved Bunny and her heartbreaking story and she was so sweet. I want book 2 and I want to see Mal and Tuesday be a force of nature and burn that place to the ground 👌🏼

[Ari ☠︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably one of the darkest books I’ve read all year by FARRRR. There was so much pain and trauma and I was SO INVESTED. If Hannibal Lecter and AHS: Asylum had a love child, you’d get No Asylum Here. The gothic vibes were to die for and there were some parts that had me blushing and wondering if I myself needed a lobotomy 😮‍💨 I was also SUPER surprised at how many twists and turns were in this audiobook and how incredible the story was! I cannot fucking wait for book 2 yall 😭 I can already tell there is going to be so much fucking carnage in This Grave We Share and I’m READDDDDDYYYYY 😍😈

Thank you so much Libro.fm and Simon Maverick for my alc of No Asylum Here!

[Lanae (findmeonsmutlane) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely EVERYTHING.

I went into it excited but weary. Aiden said it was dark, the darkest they've written so I was a little worried. But I trust Aiden. And I am so glad I did.

The story hooked me from the start. From that very first chapter I was engrossed. I loved everything that was happening. How the plot developed, the characters, their stories, it was all just so good. There was so much mystery, so many secrets, and they were doled out like little morsels throughout the story. Just when I had an idea of what was happening, it twisted and changed.

Yes, the story is dark, but for me I didn't find it too dark. It was just the right amount for my preference. But def check your trigger warnings.

The romance was all consuming. It was dark, and hot, and it had me scared and with butterflies in my stomach. I mean how do you make a speculum hot? BUT AIDEN DID IT.

The book ends on a mild cliffhanger, and I need book two immediately.

10/10. Amazing read. If you're a fan of American horror story, this book will 100000% be your jam!

[Lauren ❤️‍ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was incredibly dark and incredibly disgusting….. 4 stars 🤪

[Talina Jacobsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for this ARC! This was SO unhinged and soooo delicious. I was hooked in from the very start and finished it in one day. I cannot wait to see where book two takes us!!!

[Marisa (marisalynnreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Libro.fm for the gifted audiobook!

When I read the blurb for this book and saw that it was narrated by my girl Amy Hall, I knew I had to listen to it ASAP.

Now let me start off by saying this book is dark, I mean DARK. Please check the TW before reading.

I loved the premise, a broken psychiatrist takes a job at an asylum from hell and finds herself in an unlikely bond with the facility's most dangerous patient.

The audiobook was so well done (no surprise here), Amy Hall is the queen of dark smut in my eyes and Nick Mondelli paired with her perfectly. I could listen to these two read the dictionary and be sat.

The ending?! 🤯 I did not see the story going the way it did and I am chomping at the bits waiting for book two in the series to be released.

The main reason this isn't a higher rating for me? The smut, your girl just isn't a fan of the degrading dirty talk. Certain scenes had me cringing with the vocabulary used, but that's just me (I know some of you love it and that's okay)

[Denna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unhinged. Psycho. I’m in love. This was insane!

No Asylum Here was probably my first horror romance, and it was a wild ride. The whole concept of this book was so unique. I’ve never read anything like it before. And there are several things I need to praise separately.

• Doctor and patient. In an asylum. Isn’t that the perfect combination? Tuesday and Patient 17 felt like an upgraded version of Joker and Harley to me. Perfect. The chemistry between them was unreal.

• The spicy scenes in this book are definitely not something you want to skip. 🥵

• I don’t even know how to describe how well the plot of this book was done. The story completely pulled me in, and I couldn’t put it down. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I needed to know what would happen next!

No Asylum Here had everything. Emotional moments. A story that completely won me over. Monsters and demons. This book truly had it all. And I cannot wait for the sequel, because this book is my new obsession.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tropes:
- Doctor/patient
- Experiments
- Scalpel play
- Masked MMC
- Asylum
- Paranormal

THIS BOOK WAS AS TWISTY AS A PRETZEL AND AS DELICIOUS AS THE NACHO CHEESE YOU DIP IT IN.
Devoured wholly and throughly. Mal and Tuesday are absolutely delicious and left me speechless more than once. I mean, the Hannibal vibes were immaculate but THEN you add in that TONGUE?! Demon have mercy, I have perished!! The daddy issues were raging and I don’t think I have hated one like this in forever. Seriously, F that guy! The side characters are just as deep as our mains. Bunny is MVP and must be protected at ALL COSTS! You won’t get a big cliffy but you will get an un answered questions hangover. I have so many theories rattling around in my brain cavern right now!
I am NEVER disappointed when I pick up an Aiden book. I don’t know what Aiden does, but every word is seriously addicting! I will gladly stay hooked forever!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️

This was a wild story! The asylum part had me interested initially, but I couldn’t tell from the description if this was a monster story. It teeters into that realm, but would classify it more as Monster Lite. I don’t typically read anything fantasy, paranormal, etc but wasn’t turned off by this element.

The weird and unusual happenings inside St. Bartholomew’s were unlike anything I’ve read. The author takes you on a wild journey of this history of the asylum and its’ founders. I’m rooting for the FMC, Tuesday, and her love interest. I hope book two covers that and how Tuesday was selected to work at St. Bart’s.

Thank you Aiden Pierce for providing this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

#NoAsylumHere #AidenPierce #ARC

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read as arc
5-⭐️ 2-🌶️
Holy shit.

Like actually
I can’t believe the chaos in this book
This leaves you confused and mixed up for the first 40-45% of the book, because duh that’s the point.
It’s heavy and fucked up, locked away in an asylum that is full of monsters. Like… legit monsters

Tuesday comes to St.Barts thinking she’s getting an incredible opportunity to start fresh as a doctor.

Patient 17 helps her open her eyes to the true horrors of St.Barts while playing with her mentally.

Aiden, thus might be your best mind fuck of a book so far.

It was so well done, the way this flipped so quickly without spoilers you are in for one hell of a ride with this!

I can’t wait for the second book

(Also the dedication actually kills me) 💀

[Toad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit! Do you want the vibes of AHS Asylum/Hannibal lecter?! This is the book! I absolutely HATE PNR but Aidens writing is top tier and everything she writes is unbelievable and makes me love even my hated genres. I don't want to give too many details because you definitely want to read this for yourself!

A psychologist who lost a patient slowly loses her mind and finds herself in a very unexpected situation

[Jessica Ehmcke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author and won't be my last. I enjoyed this read from beginning to end.
This is a great book to add to your fall TBR this year. Who doesn't love a dark, gothic, asylum, along with some spice?!?!
My little nightmare 🖤

[fae in chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Não sei se estou mais maluca depois deste livro ou se sempre fui assim 😂